Pakistan’s second Babur-class corvette, PNS Khaibar, has successfully completed live-fire trials using Türkiye’s ADVENT combat management system, delivering pinpoint accuracy with both its 76 mm main gun and Aselsan’s 25 mm STOP stabilized weapon system. The results mark a significant milestone ahead of the ship’s commissioning and highlight Pakistan’s drive toward a fully networked, multi-mission naval force.
HAVELSAN announced on 18 November 2025 that PNS Khaibar demonstrated the full integration of the ADVENT CMS during live firing conducted under the PN MILGEM program. Acting together with state-owned ASFAT, HAVELSAN oversaw the trials in which the corvette achieved direct hits during coastal bombardment and replicated the performance with its secondary armament.
Measuring around 108 meters and displacing nearly 3,000 tons, the Babur-class represents a heavier, more versatile evolution of Türkiye’s Ada-class design. With a CODAG propulsion system enabling speeds over 26 knots, a range of roughly 3,500 nautical miles, and endurance of about 15 days, PNS Khaibar provides Pakistan with a platform capable of extended multi-mission operations. A hangar-equipped flight deck supports a 10-ton helicopter, while RHIB bays enable boarding and special forces missions.
The ship’s advanced sensor suite—SMART-S Mk2 radar, Alper navigation radar, the SeaEye-AHTAPOT EO suite, and Piri IRST—delivers 360-degree detection at ranges up to 250 km. Anti-submarine warfare capabilities are enhanced by the Yakamos hull-mounted sonar and the HIZIR torpedo countermeasure system. Its armament includes Harbah dual-role cruise missiles, 324 mm lightweight torpedoes, a Gokdeniz CIWS, a Leonardo 76/62 Super Rapid gun, and twin STOP 25 mm mounts.
A major divergence from the Ada-class configuration appears in air defense: Pakistan replaced the RAM launcher with the Gokdeniz CIWS and equipped the ship with a 12-cell VLS for MBDA’s Albatros NG (CAMM-ER family), offering beyond-45 km range and true area-defense capability. Combined with the Harbah’s land-attack function, PNS Khaibar operates as a compact multi-role escort able to protect task groups, counter aerial threats and conduct precision strikes onshore.
ADVENT’s network-enabled architecture supports Link-11/16/22, SIMPLE, JREAP and Pakistan’s Link Green network, merging radar, sonar, EO and ESM feeds into a unified tactical picture. The FLEETSTAR data distribution system serves as the ship’s digital core, synchronizing and routing high-rate sensor inputs with low latency. The adoption of the ADVENT–FLEETSTAR ecosystem gives Pakistan a fully modern, non-Chinese digital combat infrastructure alongside its Chinese-built frigates and submarines.
The PN MILGEM program, launched in 2018, includes four ships—two built in Türkiye and two in Pakistan—under a broad technology transfer agreement. This provides Pakistan with design ownership and integration capability, enabling future evolution into indigenous classes such as the Jinnah-class.
As Pakistan faces a widening naval gap with India and expands its maritime role within the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor, the introduction of network-centric Babur-class corvettes significantly strengthens its ability to secure trade routes and project power in the North Arabian Sea.
